For 100 school or event shirts with a one-color front print, the Gildan 5000 is the lowest-cost option at $9.05 per shirt on a black tee, the Bella+Canvas 3001 is $11.80, and the Comfort Colors 1717 is $15.32. Choose the 5000 when the shirt is a giveaway or field-day tee, the 3001 when students and staff will actually wear it again, and the 1717 when the shirt is a keepsake people are paying for, like a senior shirt or a fundraiser.
Those prices come from the same pricing engine as our instant quote calculator, using our live S&S Activewear blank prices. If you want the general fit and feel comparison of these three tees, we cover that in Comfort Colors 1717 vs Bella 3001 vs Gildan 5000. This post is about cost for school and event runs.
Cost per shirt at 100 pieces
Every price below is per shirt, before sales tax, for 100 shirts in sizes S to XL, screen printed on the front. Screen setup is already included in the per-shirt price.
| Tee | Weight | Fit and feel | Best print methods | 1 color on white | 1 color on black | 2 colors on black | Minimum | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gildan 5000 | 5.3 oz, 100% cotton (heathers blended), 20 singles | Classic straight cut, roomy, sturdy | Screen print, bold spot colors | $7.86 | $9.05 | $9.68 | 36 per design | About 2-3 weeks after art approval |
| Bella+Canvas 3001 | 4.2 oz, combed ring-spun cotton, 32 singles | Unisex retail fit, side-seamed, soft | Screen print, DTG | $11.16 | $11.80 | $12.43 | 36 per design | About 2-3 weeks after art approval |
| Comfort Colors 1717 | 6.1 oz, 100% ring-spun cotton, garment-dyed, 20 singles | Relaxed, boxy, heavyweight | Screen print (discharge and water-based especially), embroidery | $14.68 | $15.32 | $15.95 | 36 per design | About 2-3 weeks after art approval |
The full order for 100 shirts with a one-color print on black, including sales tax on the shirts, comes to $953.72 on the Gildan 5000, $1,257.60 on the Bella+Canvas 3001, and $1,646.56 on the Comfort Colors 1717.
Sizes 2XL and up carry a supplier upcharge. If all 100 shirts in the one-color black example were 2XL, the per-shirt price would be $11.89 on the 5000, $14.41 on the 3001, and $17.93 on the 1717. A real order is a mix of sizes, so the calculator prices each size separately.
Why your school color costs a little more than white
Look at the jump between the "white" and "black" columns: 64 cents per shirt on the 3001 and the 1717. That is the white underbase. On any shirt that is not clearly light, we print a layer of white ink first so your color sits bright and opaque on top. That underbase is an extra screen, so a one-color design on a dark shirt prints as two screens.
This matters for schools more than most customers, because school colors are rarely light. Royal, red, maroon, navy, forest, purple and even Sport Grey all get the underbase. Our pricing treats any color it cannot confirm as light the same way, so the estimate you see matches what we print. The Gildan 5000 gap is wider ($1.19) because Gildan also charges a little more for colored blanks than for white; the 3001 and 1717 cost the same in every color.
If budget is tight, the cheapest move is a light shirt with dark ink: White or Ash with a navy or maroon print skips the underbase.
Why 100 pieces is the number to plan around
Screen printing gets cheaper per shirt as quantity rises, because the screens are made once and the print rate drops by tier. On the Gildan 5000 with one color on black, the same shirt is $13.84 at 36 pieces, $11.11 at 50, and $9.05 at 100.
So if two grades or two clubs want the same design, combine them. Every piece on the order counts toward the quantity tier, and when both groups print the same artwork in the same ink colors, the screens are made once.
Our minimum for screen printing is 36 pieces per design. Under that, DTG printing has no minimum; see why our screen print minimum is 36.
Which tee fits which school or event?
- Field day, fun run, volunteer shirts, giveaways: Gildan 5000. Durable, roomy, 83 colorways in our catalog including the school and safety colors fashion blanks skip, and the lowest cost.
- Club shirts, staff shirts, team shirts people wear all year: Bella+Canvas 3001. The softer, fitted shirt people keep wearing, and 96 colorways.
- Senior shirts, alumni, fundraiser shirts you sell at a markup: Comfort Colors 1717. The heavyweight vintage look students ask for by name, with 68 garment-dyed colors.
A note on the 1717 from our shop floor: garment-dyed color varies a little from dye lot to dye lot. We pull a full order from one lot wherever stock allows, and flag it on your proof when we cannot. If you plan to discharge print on a 1717, we test a shirt from your run first, because dye lots can discharge slightly differently. Our Comfort Colors guide covers the look in more detail.
Ordering for a school
Most school orders go through a teacher, coach, or booster club with a fixed budget and a fixed date. Start with the date, work back about 2-3 weeks for production after art approval, and add time for collecting sizes. Our school spirit wear ordering guide and event merch timeline walk through it. If families will pay for their own shirts, an online store can collect sizes and payment for you; see our school spirit wear program.
For the full screen print price list at every quantity, see the screen printing cost guide or our screen printing service page. When you are ready, price your 100 shirts.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest shirt for 100 school shirts?
Of these three, the Gildan 5000. With a one-color front print it is $7.86 per shirt on white and $9.05 on black at 100 pieces, before tax.
How much more does a Comfort Colors 1717 cost than a Gildan 5000?
At 100 pieces with a one-color print on black, the 1717 is $15.32 per shirt and the 5000 is $9.05, a difference of $6.27 per shirt. The print price is the same; the difference is the blank.
Does a dark shirt cost more to screen print?
Yes, slightly. Dark and saturated shirts get a white underbase screen under your design, which adds 64 cents per shirt at 100 pieces for a one-color print.
What is the minimum for screen printed school shirts?
36 pieces per design. Shirts that share the same artwork count together, even across different shirt styles.
Can we mix shirt colors in one order?
Yes. Each shirt color is priced on its own blank price, and a dark color carries the underbase. The calculator shows the effect of each choice before you submit.
How long do 100 printed shirts take?
About 2-3 weeks after art approval. Rush is available depending on the schedule; tell us your date when you request a quote.
